We've been intending to change our dining table and chairs for a number of years now, and finally got round to doing so before Christmas. The set we had (which wasn't actually a "set"!) was only meant to be a stop-gap whilst we had our old house on the market. We wanted something a little less bulky than the pine set we had had for years as it rather filled up the dining room, and naturally we wanted to make the house look as spacious as possible 😉
To be honest I had never really been keen on the dining table, not least because of the configuration of the legs which meant that we could never get the chairs pushed right beneath it. The chairs were sort of okay but were awfully heavy ~ plus they really needed seat pads as they were very unforgiving on one's nether regions if they were sat upon for any length of time 😯
We also have a second television in the dining room along with an easy chair and footstool, and a side table. By the way, I know that the walls look pretty horrendous but please be assured that they have been thoroughly cleaned of mould. Unfortunately the staining just won't shift anymore than this. Be prepared, my lovelies, as I'm afraid you're going to see more of the damaged walls and woodwork in this room further down the page 😯 One day we'll finally get round to having this room gutted and redecorated, but in the meantime let's all just ignore how horrible it looks 😉
It took a lot longer to finally find a set that we liked, and was also suitable for the space we have, than we thought it would! In the end we found something to fit both criteria from an online company called Grain & Frame, who would both deliver up here and for a reasonable cost.
It is very well made furniture but did come flat-packed ~ which is always a tad fraught 😏 To be fair, the table and seating bench both went together very quickly and easily. The chairs, though, were a little more difficult but we got there in the end!
Most of the time it's just the two of us, and on the odd occasion when we do have company it's not usually more than two or three extra people. We therefore decided to go for the 4-6 seater extendable table, in the dark oak shade. Of course this is a totally different shade and wood to the cabinet against the wall. Now, to be honest I'm quite happy not having matching wooden furniture shades but eventually we hope to be able to house the crockery and my blue and white china collection that's in the cabinet elsewhere. The intention is that this will be our "forever" dining table set, so we decided to go for the wood and shade that we liked best 😊
It's a simple design and as you can see, the extension leaf is completely removeable. We don't need the longer length on a day-to-day basis, so we have stored it away to use as and when it's required. It's so nice to be able to slide the chairs all the way beneath the table! Plus with the added bonus of them not having high backs like the old chairs, the dining room seems much more spacious than before 😄
We decided to just have four chairs and make up any additional seating which may be required with a bench ~ which doubles-up very nicely as a side table 😏 Whilst it's longer than the old one, it isn't as deep so has created more "walking space". It's also taller, so the little footstool now slides right out of the way when it isn't being used.
Of course, we are now a tad paranoid about protecting the tops of both the seating bench...
and the dining table 😉 At some point I will get another tablecloth. This one is perfect for if we need to use the extension leaf but it is a little long and cumbersome for day-to-day use.
As you can imagine, we are very pleased with our new furniture. The old chairs have gone to a new home, and we will ask Restart to collect the two tables (which are currently residing in my craft room!) when the weather is better 😊
